Devising for the Shadows: Puppetry in Performance

This team will devise the script and soundscape, and brainstorm the necessary elements that will serve as a foundation for a piece of shadow puppet theatre that will be performed on North Campus. The puppets will be constructed as part of the course Introduction to Puppetry and performed December 2024. FEAST team members are devisers, writers, composers, sound designers, and mechanical engineers. Everyone should come with an open mind to collaborate across disciplines to develop a narrative, any text and sound, as well as any consideration of engineering shadow puppet magic with light, translucent color and cardboard.

Students apply to a specific role on team as follows:

Sound Designer / Engineer (2 Students)

Collaborative & creative with the ability to compose, create and record music as well a soundscape in support of a visually driven narrative structure. May need to record voice artists for playback. Determine playback needs for December 2024 performance.

Likely Majors/Minors: CE, CS, EE, PAT

Writer (2 Students)

Collaborative & creative with the ability to outline a script, which may or may not have spoken words; develop a narrative structure as a foundation and inspiration to all collaborators. Ability to work transparently and manage time through an iterative process to develop a script for the puppetry class to produce and perform.

Likely Majors/Minors: ARTDES, COMM, DANCE, ENGLISH, MUSPERF, THTREMUS

Stage and Production Manager (1 Student)

With a creative voice in the development of this piece, this person will assist with the overall project management, help with production calendar, contact information, and serve as stage manager of the performance in December.

Likely Majors/Minors: ARTDES, D&P, PAT, MUSPERF, THTREMUS

Design Engineer (2 Students)

With a creative voice in the development of this piece from the beginning, this person will serve as a puppet development designer with an understanding of simple mechanical engineering to articulate two dimensional forms that will be fully designed and constructed by the puppetry class Fall 2024.

Likely Majors/Minors: ARCH, ME, ROB

Faculty Project Lead

Christianne Myers (she/her/hers) is a freelance costume designer and professor of theatre & drama at U-M. Originally from Baltimore, Myers spent 14 years living and working in New York City. Her costume design work spans theatre, opera, industrial work, and film. New York highlights include the Obie Award-winning productions of Music Theatre Group’s Running Man and Blue Light’s production of Dare Clubb’s Oedipus.

Her current work is as a lead convener of ATCA (American Theatrical Costume Assoc) whose mission is to inclusively reconsider how we teach costume design, fashion history, and amplify the scholarship of costuming. Design work includes The Beauty Queen of Leenane at Detroit Public Theatre and Die Fledermaus at The Santa Fe Opera (co-designer), and a collaboration with U-M’s BioArtography program as an inspiration for developing textile designs.

In addition to more than 15 productions at the Juilliard School, her other design credits include productions for the Vermont Stage Company, the Lincoln Center Institute, the Clarence Brown Theatre, the Syracuse Stage, the Indiana Repertory Theatre, Theatreworks/USA, the Caldwell Theatre, and the Irondale Ensemble. At U-M, Myers has costume designed more than 50 shows for SMTD.

Students: 7

Likely Majors/Minors: ARTDES, ARCH, CE, COMM, CS, DANCE, D&P, EE, ENGLISH, ME, MUSPERF, PAT, ROB, THTREMUS

Meeting Details: Wednesdays, 9 am (Hybrid)

Application: Consider including a link to your portfolio or other websites in the personal statement portion of your application to share work you would like considered as part of your submission.

Summer Opportunity: Summer research fellowships may be available for qualifying students.

Citizenship Requirements: This project is open to all students on campus.

IP/NDA: Students who successfully match to this project team will be required to sign an Intellectual Property (IP) Agreement prior to participation.

Course Substitutions: CoE Honors